What''s Up, Chuck? Sometimes it''s just way too easy. Way too easy to predict what''s going to spill out of that shiny new "singer/songwriter" CD, or to approximate what you''re going to see onstage at the local java joint. There''s a devoted earnestness in the one-person/one-instrument performances as the performers delve into the depths of their tortured souls or comment on society''s debilitating ills. Sometimes there''s more musical ability than others.

But some of the musicians in the category, without really breaking the rules of the genre, transcend the sameness with the sheer power of their songwriting, the intensity of their performance or the quality of their musicianship. And then there are some who make the singer/songwriter thing sound altogether new and different. Annie Gallup is one of those.

It''s not that Gallup is really doing anything radically different from others in her musical tribe, but it''s distinct enough to make a difference. Dirty Linen, one of the big publications for the acoustic music set, describes Gallup as a cross between Joni Mitchell and Lucinda Williams. It''s not a bad description. While there''s that sort of Mitchell-esque, controlled, almost jazz-inflected, spoken/sung delivery (circa The Hissing of Summer Lawns), there''s more of Williams'' driving simplicity behind the words. It''s almost like Gallup has so much confidence in the power of her words that she doesn''t feel compelled to gussy them up with the soaring frills that are Mitchell''s hallmark.

Listening to Gallup''s 1999 release steady steady yes is as much about listening to poetry as it is listening to music. With her quiet control and personal (only one song out of 13 doesn''t directly refer to "I") themes of love, family and growing up, the album reflects a stripped-bare style-both emotionally and production-wise. And that may be where Gallup rejoins the singer/songwriter set--and forces a listener to make a choice. If listening to an individual strip down to his/her naked soul turns you on, you''re going to love Gallup. If, however, that sort of thing scares you off...you''re warned.

Gallup is appearing on the same bill with Darcie Deaville, a multi-instrumental singer/songwriter whose music grows more from country/bluegrass roots.

Annie Gallup, Darcie Deaville, Saturday, 8pm. Carleton Hall, Monterey Church of Religious Science, 373-7379.

If you''re looking for blues this weekend, you''re best bets are at the Long Bar, where Bay Area blues fave Coco Montoya is returning on Thursday at 9pm. 649-4241. And Lady Bo returns to Sly McFly''s on Saturday to deliver her blend of rock ''n'' blues. 649-8050.

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